I got the tin plates from Rockland, but they don't fit my film holders!! HELP!?

So I decided to venture into the mystical realm of Alternative Process photography. I was always fascinated by tintypes, and so after doing some research I found that Rockland sells a starter kit that comes with all I'd need to give the process a shot.

Everything's pretty straight forward, only thing is that I can't get the (relatively thin) tin plates to fit in my 4x5 (regular/plastic) film holders! I use a Wisner Technical Field 4x5. Any help/suggestions/advice would be greatly appreciated!

Try looking for some old dry-plate holders. You may need to make a spacer to hold the tintype plate at the plane of focus, but they'll be much more likely to fit. Dry plate holders for 4x5 should be quite cheap at flea markets etc because most people think there's no use for them anymore.

To make the plates from Rockland fit your current 4x5 holders, just trim them down with a heavy pair of sizzors or with a pair of tin snips. Cut them slightly smaller than the long side of the holders. Leave them longer than the area to be exposed. When you put them in the holders, slide one end under the top edge of the holder and then close the bottom of the holder to keep the plate in place.

You can trim them to the same size as a sheet of film and with a little work they will slide in like a sheet of film. Personally, I find getting them out after exposure a hassel, so I trim them smaller than a sheet of film.

you can build your own holders if you can work wood or have a look at the hardware store to see if you can adapt something

I built a plate holder for my 4x5" camera and wasn't hard at all

I cut them down on a cheap swing arm paper cutter from Office Depot. Worked great, good luck to you.